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Tara Benson

President & Lead Investigator

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Tara Benson is the Founder and Lead Investigator of Locke and Steele Investigative Agency, Inc, a fully licensed, bonded and insured private investigation and security firm specializing in security consultation, evidence generation, and case analysis.

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Tara began her career as an active-duty Military Police Officer in the United States Army Military Police Corps where she diligently worked to protect the soldiers, civilians, and families on base and in the field.

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Due to her outstanding performance, she earned an invitation to join the Army’s Special Reaction Team (the Army equivalent of SWAT), numerous commendations and early promotion.

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After serving her time, she went back to college and entered private investigations with a prestigious firm and honed her skills and knowledge of investigation under the guidance of two retired Miami-Dade Homicide Detectives.

 

She then took that expertise into service with the State of New York as an Investigator, where she excelled at undercover and surveillance operations, in-depth fraud investigations, and evidence development and analysis. Her dedication and tenacity resulted in millions of dollars saved or recovered for NYS taxpayers.

 

In an unrelenting pursuit to perfect her craft, Tara completed a master’s degree in Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice specializing in Police Administration and Investigations while already holding a master’s degree in Education from Le Moyne College. She continues to stay current on security and investigation issues through research and training seminars offered by numerous prestigious security and criminal justice organizations.

 

With public safety being paramount today, Tara passionately believes in supporting businesses and communities with the security and investigation solutions that ensure the protection of their most prized assets, people.

 

Finally, Tara volunteers with the Cold Case Foundation, an organization founded by retired FBI Agents John Douglas and Greg Cooper and supports numerous groups that combat human trafficking and online child exploitation.

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